Austin FC's Claudio Reyna: Sunday's playoff game versus Dallas 'a reward to our fans'

Austin FC sporting director Claudio Reyna emerges from his office Friday morning with a cup of coffee in his hand and a big smile.

About as easygoing and friendly as they come, you likely wouldn’t guess Reyna is one of the United States’ most prolific soccer exports if you ran into him on the street.

In a career stretching from 1993-2008, he spent five years in the German Bundesliga, six years in the English Premier League and two seasons in Scotland, playing for clubs such as Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg, Manchester City and Rangers — while as an international player he represented the U.S. in four World Cups.

But as Austin FC prepares for the biggest game in club history for the second week in a row when it hosts rival FC Dallas in a Western Conference semifinal derby Sunday, what Reyna has accomplished as a sporting director — which is essentially the equivalent to a general manager in other sports — in the MLS is almost as noteworthy.

In his second stint in the position, Reyna has duplicated the success for El Tree that he did during five years at New York City FC.

Like here, Reyna took over NYCFC as an expansion franchise in 2015.

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Following an average first year, the club finished in the top three in the East the next four seasons, including winning it in 2019, and it advanced to the conference semifinals each time.

Leaving New York to help launch Austin FC in 2019, he’s helped put together a roster in the club’s second year that just finished runner-up in the West, won Copa Tejas and has a chance to play Los Angeles FC in the conference final.

Reyna noted that this much success so soon for El Tree wasn’t necessarily expected, but it’s not a surprise, either.

“After last year we felt a lot of the core pieces were in place, not just personnel but with our culture and what we were doing,” Reyna told the American-Statesman. “There was belief in (head coach Josh Wolff) and how we played, and I think that’s what’s come out this year. We’ve carried over from last year in many ways but adjusted and gotten better in others. And I always expect and believe in the players. To see them grow the way they did collectively and individually — it’s been fun to see.”

There’s no doubt that roster construction is a key component in building success in the MLS — after all, you obviously can’t win without good players, and Reyna has done that by bringing in Sebastián Driussi, Moussa Djitté, Maxi Urruti, Ethan Finlay, Ruben Gabrielsen, Emiliano Rigoni and Jhojan Valencia over the past 16 months — but environment is just as important to Reyna.

If you can create a culture and environment that players appreciate and believe in, Reyna said they will reciprocate with performance on the field.

“From my time as a player, I think professionalism is a big part of it,” he said. “Everything we do here from how we take care of the players, the food we feed them, the practice facility we have — they see a professional environment around them and everybody giving everything toward them. We want to have high standards in how we do everything, and with that approach players really appreciate that and want to give 100%. At New York, players never wanted to leave and I’m getting the same approach here. They enjoy living here, playing for this club and being in our training facility and representing Austin FC. There will always be difficult moments, but if you have a good environment, it will be easier to come out of it.”

There’s also a style of play that Reyna, Wolff and the organization have implemented that is likely more attractive to players in general.

As opposed to some clubs who may sit back in a defensive shell and wait for a counterattack — which should be noted has been highly successful in the MLS at times — Reyna and Wolff prefer a more aggressive style and opening up the field by playing out of the back.

“You have to have a style of play that coaches identify with and players believe in,” Reyna said. “We believe in our way of being offensive, having the ball and creating chances. With that, you try and put players that play that way in the system.”

One thing that’s different for Reyna here compared to New York is a permanent stadium.

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While NYCFC seems to rotate playing locations annually — and sometimes within the same season — part of the culture and environment Reyna wants to incorporate is having a place such as Q2 Stadium to play in.

It’s a setting reminiscent of the many facilities he played in overseas, but with more of a positive crowd.

“It’s electric, loud and the energy and support remind me of Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, though our capacity is obviously smaller,” he said. “Our fan support is very educated. That’s something that’s really great to see and really different from 20 years ago. Speaking to other players and sporting directors across the league, this is quickly becoming one of the favorite places to come and play. It’s a soccer atmosphere unlike anything else in the MLS and it does rival European and English environments of similar-sized stadiums.”

Like Wolff, Reyna has enjoyed becoming an Austinite.

Though his son, Gio, is currently one of the top young prospects for the U.S. men’s national team and plays for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, he has two other children he and his wife are raising here.

When he’s not involved in his kids' activities, he’s enjoying being out on one of the area lakes, taking in an event at Moody Center, going to a Texas women’s soccer match or being out at an Austin eatery.

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“The city and community is incredibly friendly and supportive,” he said. “If I’m out at a restaurant or coffee shop, people are very congratulatory. It’s beyond what I even imagined before moving here.”

Ironically, Reyna didn’t see himself in his current position during his playing years — not due to lack of interest but to the sport still being in its early growing stages in the U.S.

But with the growth in the MLS the past 15 years, Reyna has quickly established himself as one of the league’s top executives, and hopes to keep Austin FC as a perennial league power.

“There’s been a lot of work put in since the end of last season and even during this season,” he said. “It’s rewarding what we’ve done and to host the game Sunday, but the feeling within the club is that we’re not done yet. The game is a reward to our fans — and our fans deserve to have another playoff game at home. They’ve come out in full force with noise and positivity, and they’re great for the team.”

Sunday's match

Western Conference semifinals: Austin FC vs. FC Dallas, 7 p.m., Q2 Stadium, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, 97.5

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC's Claudio Reyna enjoying time in Austin, excited about team